


All that glitters is not gold

by littleweepingdalek



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, F/F, Rumplestiltskin AU, a small fanfic with Missy and Clara because why not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-07 10:43:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7711882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleweepingdalek/pseuds/littleweepingdalek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Missy lost an important device she needs to launch her TARDIS and get away from this ugly little place in medieval Europe (It is Europe, right?) Whatever. Unfortunately, she doesn't like searching. One day, she hears about a miller's daughter, who is imprisoned in the King's Tower. And suddenly the vacation on Earth wasn't that boring anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! This fanfic will probably be two or three chapters long when it's finished and I hope you like it. I'd also be very thankful if you'd tell me where I made mistakes, if you spot them. I try hard to eliminate all of them, but English is not my first language. Have a nice day and thank you for reading :)

You could say that the Mistress was not amused. Absolutely not. Finally, she's gotten herself a brand new TARDIS (like the Doctor borrowed his, of course. Borrowing is such a better word than stealing, don't you agree?). However, that joy didn't last long. After a few trips, filled with just the exact bit of destruction a Time Lady needs now and then, she decided to stop on earth for a minute or two.  
Not because she desperately wanted to see the wonderful, highly imaginative architecture again. No, this decision was made out of sheer boredom. And if there was something the Mistress truly hated (besides some of her fellow Time Lords) it was being bored. It devoured you from the inside. Made you dumber than ever. Do stupid things, like talking to strangers, baking cookies in the TARDIS kitchen or maybe even visiting sights she'd seen a hundred times.  
But Earth.. She remembered that place. It was her friend's favourite place. The one place where he'd go and he'd never be bored. Apparently, there was so much to see, so much to do..  
Well, technically, there wasn't. Missy had read history books and visited this scrawny pea at the end of the universe more than once and it really wasn't that impressing. You know what's impressing? The flaming rings of Ekhor! Not bloody Earth with it's Eiffel Towers and big lakes and old castles..  
Hower, even if she didn't fancy the place, she let her TARDIS come to a halt. As silent as a falling leaf in autumn, the time machine materialized in the middle of a forest, taking the shape of an old birch tree. Inside, Missy sighed and blinked at the time indicator.  
Ah, yes. So-and-so-something.. the Middle Ages.  
And her location... Her TARDIS was currently located in a nice forest belonging to a nice kingdom on the nice continent of Europe. Missy pulled over a mirror and looked at her reflection. Did she look medieval enough?  
She was about to care, but then she shrugged, realizing that the Doctor never cared about this sort of stuff too. Time Lords usually only observed the universe and did not participate in the drama that was going on. They both broke the rule, so there wasn't much want to become a master of disguise to observe the place unnoticed (Even though she already was one, of course.) If someone would ask who she was, she woul tell them. Missy. The Master. Your fairy godmother. The wicked witch. Pick something.  
Stepping out of her TARDIS, she took a deep breath.  
Earth still stank. Some things would never change. She rolled her eyes and looked down. There, she found a neat stick, white and pretty and about twelve inches long. Missy picked it up smiling, before heading off towards the woods, part walking, part jumping, mumbling "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo".

At that time, a girl named Clara was busy washing out the pots. The land of the Oswald's was peaceful, except for her vigorous scrubbing and her father's muffled grumbling from outside. It was impossible to make out the exact words, but Clara could still decipher what he was having nightmares about.  
The money. It was always the money.  
For long, they lived quite well. The Oswald's owned a windmill. With each harvest, their neighbouring farms would deliver their corn for good coin, and Clara's father would sell their flour for even more.  
But since the draught, every family had to bite into the sour apple of nearing poverty. Clara's mother had to do even more washing, and Clara herself went around the village each day, collecting pots and bowls, to clean them until they shone.  
The door behind her opened abruptly. Her father strode in, throwing a cloth away. He placed himself at the small kitchen table and kicked into the air. "Damnit," he exclaimed loudly, "I thought the Tyler's needing their harvest for themselves was bad enough, but now it's the Williams' too?!" He sighed. "Oh, Clara, I'm so sorry."  
Slowly, the girl put the pot down and went over to her father, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be," she said, "It's not your fault. You didn't anger the gods. Our king did. Him and the pack he calls his court."  
Alarmed, her father looked up. "Clara, don't you ever say that out loud!"  
"I know. And I won't." She looked around the kitchen. "What are we going to eat this evening?," she asked. "There's nothing around here, and bread alone doesn't make a good supper."  
After her father nodded sadly, she grabbed a basket. "Alright. I'll go into the woods. Perhaps I'll find a few mushrooms. Amelia said that there are delicious ones."

As it turned out, there were mushrooms. Clara had already filled half of her basket and was quite pleased with herself. She listened to the birds and gently hummed a little song whilst picking up her supper.  
Suddenly though, she got distracted.  
It was grayish and looked fluffy. Kind of like wool. Cocking her head, Clara held out her hand and touched it. She expected to feel a soft texture, but instead, it felt hard and smooth. Her eyes did no longer see the gray, but a glittering metal.  
Unbelieving, Clara picked it up. It was a ring, big, yes, a bit thicker and of unyielding material. Frowning, Clara held it directly in front of her eyes. A smile crept up her lips as she discovered the worth of her finding. If it truly was a ring of gold, selling it would bring food to her family member's bellies. The good stuff, not only water and bread.  
For the rest of her way home, Clara Oswald danced, but when she entered the village again, the king's men stopped her. They demanded to see what was in her basket.  
"The mushrooms.. It is allowed to get mushrooms."  
That was accepted. But they also wanted to know the contents of her pockets. When she said she had nothing to hide, a man rudely grabbed into her right one and pulled out the ring. Then he laughed. It was a bitter laugh. A cruel one.  
"Oh, really?," he said, "Then how will you explain this?"  
"I found it!"  
"You stole it, you mean."  
"No, I found it! I was in the forest, looking for mushrooms, and then there was a bit of wool. I suppose it was wool, it looked like it. I stooped and wanted to grab it and then-" She paused, knowing how crazy she must have sound. "You must believe me! It turned gold! It became like this! On my life, I swear I did not steal it!"  
The men laughed louder. They grabbed her so harshly the basket dropped to the ground, the mushrooms spilling all over the ground. Playing children grabbed them, taking them home fast as the men took the miller's daughter away to the castle, whose only visible part if you looked at it from this place where the towers, rising up behind the high trees.

Missy eventually found a way out of the forest and was now walking through a small village. Kids stared at her, just like adults. But when the kids were curious, the older humans seemed to fear her. It must have been her clothing, she decided. A peasant would think she'd be from noble birth.  
But the question would be: What is a lady doing in a stinking hole like this? Vacation. Walking around with a stick, pointing at things and having fun, trying not to burn a civilization. Of course, she could do that. Easily. But this was the Doctor's playground. His sand castle. She would not destroy it. At least not when he was not watching. Where's the fun in smashing someone's loved things if you can't look into their face?  
So, she walked around the village. And she even bought a fine snack from a small boy who decided to cross her path. Don't ask why she still had a gold coin in her pocket, please. Or why she smiled at the kid and tossed him the money.  
We're even now, Missy told herself. When I meet the Doctor the next time and he's still angry about something I have done hundreds of decades ago, I can tell him that I, the Master, have gotten off my high horse and showed a little Earthling my generous nature.  
He'd love that, wouldn't he? He'd probably demand photos and video evidence, but he'd love it. He would be all smiling, saying "Now, didn't THIS feel better than anything bad ever could?"  
The Doctor would never understand. He did good things because it was fun. She did bad things for the same reason. And no matter what she told herself, she bought the overprized snack because she wanted to eat, not to be a good person.  
She was halfway through the place when a conversation took her interest. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she strode forward, trying to listen to the loud and harsh words. A man who had a face the colour of ripe tomatoes was furious. "They've got my child!", he screamed, violently kicking the two men who seized him, "Let me go! Clara didn't steal anything! She'd never do that!"  
"It's okay, David", one of his captors said. His voice sounded compassionate, tender, but his grip was as hard as iron. They must be friends.  
"No, no, it's not!", the man called David declared, "That's my girl they drag before the king! For theft! She'll die if you won't let me save her."  
Unfortunately, they didn't. And the man gave up. Missy rolled her eyes. How boring. Two muscular boys hold you for two minutes and you surrender? No wonder mankind was so much weaker than the Time Lords.  
Dave sighed, then he began to cry. Grave, he whispered: "On my life and on my honor, my daughter is no thieve. They're doing her injustice."  
His other friend patted him on the shoulder. "We know, but.. You have to admit, she sounds mad when she says she touched a bit of wool and it became a gold ring. That can't be true."  
"How would you know," Dave asked him, but by then Missy no longer listened.  
The girl touched wool and then she owned a gold ring?  
How highly unordinary. How interesting.  
That one, she would pay a visit.

It wasn't entirely dark when they rudely threw her in front of the throne, but it already became night outside. Thick clouds rolled on, seeming to mock Clara. As if the day couldn't get any worse.  
She remained silent while her captors explained the case. Girl. Ring. Theft. Her "filthy lie". No one asked who that ring actually belonged to. Or if it could possible she actually said the truth.  
The king was getting bored. He waved his hand. "Oh, spare me. If that girl's a thief, then kill her and be done with it."  
At that moment, Clara burst. "No!", she yelled, a little too loud. She bit her lip before turning her volume down. "No. Your majesty, I swear to all that I hold dear, I do not lie. I touched the material and it changed. Please, I am a loyal servant of Your Greatness. I would never dare lie to my king."  
The adressed one stood up from his chair, looking down at Clara. He looked honest, but it was only a mask, for a bit later he smiled that devious smile of men. "I will show mercy," he declared, "For I, King Edward, truly am a great king who cares for my people."  
There had got be a catch. And the whole court was assembled to hear it.  
"For one night, you shall be kept inside the King's Tower. You, and numerous sacks full of wool. If it helps you, I even grant you a spinning wheel. If you said the truth, the wool should turn gold when you touch it and the chamber will be full of it by morning. If you lie, you will face a liar's fate."

Inside the tower, Clara kicked against the sacks. Of course, she touched it. Softly, as if she could destroy it. But of course her wonder didn't repeat. Wonders are a thing for one occasion. She became angry.  
Then frustrated.  
Then undeniably sad. Because when she died, how would her mother and father live with the whole world thinking their daughter was a thief? Who would care for them if they became old? Who would keep the mill after they found eternal slumber in their graves?  
Tears ran down Clara's cheeks as she leaned against the massive pile of wool.  
Suddenly, there was a noise. A strange one. One she'd never heard before. Moments later, a figure appeared. It was a woman, dressed in weird, purple clothing, looking as happy as a child presented with a new toy.  
"Oh, hello," she greeted her, "You must be the miller's daughter who has desperate need of Rumplestiltskin, right?"  
"Rumple-what?"  
The woman shrugged. "Oh, nevermind. Funny little story. Will be pretty famous one day. But I'm not here for telling stories." She kneeled down in front her, taking Clara's face in her hands, staring into her eyes, rudely opening her mouth. It seemed as if she was trying to find something. Clara was too shocked to do anything.  
"Why did you.. just appear in this room?", she asked.  
"Shh, my dear, one question at a time. I'll start. So: You're in here because you touched something and it, without a warning, turned gold?"  
Clara nodded. "Yes, it's-"  
"Well now, that's interesting. You should know that I thought this stupid vacation would stay this boring forever and I'm so glad this isn't the case."  
Finally, Clara found the courage to slowly push the woman a bit away. "What you say doesn't make sense. Who are you, what's your name?"  
Revealing a stick, the woman said: "I'm Missy. I'm the helpful fairy, always at your service."  
Clara raised a brow. "No, you aren't."  
Missy smiled thinly. "Okay, you're not utterly dumb, that's a good sign. And since you know my name - which is my real name. You may call me Missy or Master, I don't care - and my newfound hobby.. How should I call you, puppy?"  
"Clara. My name is Clara Oswald."  
Missy turned up her nose, as if the name alone tasted bad. "Nah, I'll stay with puppy."  
Clara wanted to argue, but didn't got the chance, because the woman talked on. "Alright, puppy, this is your trial and I'm your lawyer. You must know, I would make the best lawyer ever on Earth. But I have to say I ask myself why they didn't take you for a witch. You stole? Die. You used magic? Die. Both would have been hilarious. Not for good old Dave, of course."  
Alarmed, Clara looked at her. "My father? David Oswald?"  
"Yes, your father. He's okay. A bit angry and probably dying on the inside, but breathing." She smiled again, holding out her hand. "May I see the ring?"  
"I don't have it with me."  
"Right. Of course you don't. They must have stolen it from you. Wait a second."  
She tapped against a device on her wrist and with that, she was gone. Clara started to wonder if she had only dreamed of the woman. But as fast as she was gone, she came back. Now with the ring and another, much bigger device.  
"Hello again", she said, "I spend three days looking at this piece of shit. It turned out it's not my missing TARDIS thing, but rather a thing caused by time energy leaking through my TARDIS, which made it change the moment you touched it, which means.. Nevermind, I'm not your teacher. I have a plan: I help you, you help me. Is that acceptable?"  
Clara nodded slowly.  
"Here's the idea: I'll help you and for that, you have to help me later. Don't worry, you don't have to scrub my bathtub clean. You will have to find me the missing TARDIS thing, because without it, I cannot leave this place. It will look... unordinary. When you're out of this horrible situation, you will have to look for it. I will come around once in a while and ask you if you've found it. Do we have a deal?"  
"Yes."  
"But be sure. If I ever find out that you're not helping me, that you're ignoring me, that you break our pretty pact, be sure that I'll crawl into your bed at night and slit your pretty throat, but only after I destroyed absolutely everything you have ever loved, including mummy and daddy, of course."  
Clara didn't look impressed in the slightest. It must have been because she didn't fear this fate, for she was an honest woman who would not betray someone else, especially her saviour. She simply hold out her hand, a warm one, who had a firm grip, as Missy would realize. "Deal."  
The Time Lady would never openly admit it, but it was this moment she truly started to like the girl. She was tough. And would keep her promise.  
So would Missy. This didn't happen often. Promises could be broken easily, especially if you were the most clever being on the planet. First, she took off her heels which left Clara puzzled. Before she could say anything though, Missy took the machine she brought with her.  
"Your medieval little brain won't understand this," she explained, "But that's what my people call a "shiny-shiny-maker". Makes things shiny that weren't shiny before. First invented by me and my useless helper in 5th grade. When I set the right function, it will modify molecules of the wool, change its structure, turn it into a completely different element... Gold, in this case."  
Clara noticed that Missy's eyes sparkled as she talked, even if she concentratedly worked on her magic device. Unsure what to say, she simply smiled. "Sounds interesting."  
The woman paused in her work. For a moment, she looked up at Clara. Then she nodded. "Yes, yes it is. Took me a whole afternoon to figure out how to get this thing working." She wanted to return to her duty, but before she laid hands on the buttons, she found herself looking at Clara again.  
"You know.. You remind me of someone."  
"Can they join us?"  
Missy shook her head. "No. Unfortunately, they can't.. But it doesn't matter. I have you here to tell me I sound interesting, don't I? I'll see the Doctor again soon enough, no need for pressure."  
"The Doctor? Like a healer?"  
"Nah. More like a peaceful idiot. He's also a war hero. The one who ended the war. He also took great part in it, just like me, but let's say.. I was on the front line for a few days before I thought I should better get out of this mess."  
"Which war?"  
"The only one that matters, puppy." It seemed as though she wanted to tell another story, but just before she could, she pressed a few buttons. The machine whirred. Clara's eyes grew bigger and bigger as Missy held it closer and closer to the wool.  
It worked. It truly worked.  
Now louder, the device did magic. The grayish white became gold. Soft became hard. Certain death became hope.  
Not long after, the trick was finished. Missy turned the machine off and bowed. "Voilá."  
"I could kiss you," Clara said, baffled, "I.. Thank you so, so much. Thank you. I'll always be in your debt."  
"Yeah, I already know that. So, the clock ticks. You catch some sleep before those oxes wake you up in the morning. Smile for me when they drag you in front of this fat king again. Smile for me, Clara. And look out for my property. We will meet again."


	2. Chapter 2

They met exactly one year later. Clara Oswald, a humble miller's daughter, usually covered in flour or dirt, has now become a member of the royal family. A beautiful princess, actually. The king had been so pleased to see all the gold, and perhaps so ashamed of accusing an innocent person to be a liar, that he offered her his son's hand.  
How could she refuse?  
Not only that he was rich and gorgeous, no. Danny was also charismatic, charming, funny and friendly to the bone. Clara enjoyed every moment with him. Soon after they married Clara gave her parents enough money to easily run the mill and live as good as they wanted. They didn't even have to work anymore, but they insisted. She even offered them a place at court, but they friendly declined. Even though Clara was always destined to a higher fate, their place was there, they said.  
She accepted it.  
Now, one year after the miracle that saved her life and made it sheer perfect, a familiar returned. It was a warm day. A few raindrops fell, but Clara still sat out on the balcony, reading a book, shielding the paper as best as she could with one hand. She was deep inside the story, focused on the protagonists, Jane's, actions. That way she she didn't notice the noise of a vortex manipulator behind her. Neither did she hear the footsteps.  
But she did feel the hand on her head, the thin fingers petting her like a dog.  
No, rather like a puppy, for little murmurs of sweet petnames accompanied the fondling.  
Clara knew the visitor's face before she even walked in front of her, placing herself into the wide armchair across, crossing her legs. She then playfully grabbed after a glass of wine and took a few sips.  
"Missy," Clara greeted her.  
"Princess."  
There was no happiness in the word. No joy, no 'Nice to see you again'. Just plain business. But her face told a different story.  
Missy held up her chin. "So?" she asked "Do you happen to own the missing part of my TARDIS?"  
Clara shook her head, honestly. "No, I'm afraid not. I'm sorry. I have people out looking for it every day."  
Missy nodded. "Good." She would not tell her that she already knew that. Then, without a further warning, she stood up again. "Well," she said, "I guess I'll meet you again."  
As soon as she had come, she left again.

And so it would happen year after year. Missy would come to court, five years in a row. Each year all she'd get would be an "I'm sorry, I don't have it yet." If the woman got frustrated, she would not allow you to notice that.  
On visit number 5, Clara raised her voice before her mysterious woman could leave again. "Tell me," she said, suddenly so courageous, "Why is it so important to you? A strange piece.. You hold it so dear, and I don't know how you can't just accept it's loss and get on with it. Only coming back once a year."  
Missy smiled faintly. She didn't know what excactly to say. Normally, she'd probably give a snarky remark. But she didn't. No, she liked the girl. Each visit was a blessing, even if it wasn't furthering her goal.  
Maybe that's how the Doctor feels about his companions. People you eventually like.  
And Missy didn't want to blast her into a pile of dust. Well, actually, she wanted that too, but she wouldn't do that. Not until Clara had proven to be worthy of being dust.  
"Oh, Clara," she whispered, trying to describe it to a medieval woman "I would if I could. But I'm traveling. With a machine.. a carriage that can travel anywhere. And anytime. A complicated time machine that needs this circuit and if I don't have it, I'm stuck here."  
She held up her vortex manipulator.  
"That's a mini time travel device. It's disgusting, unsafe and I hate it, but it's better than no traveling at all. Unfortunately, it can't travel far away because it, too, has a problem. So I'm stuck."  
Clara nodded. "I'm sorry. Please know that I'm always looking out for the thing."  
"And you know I'll be back."  
Missy vanished into thin air. She was gone for about a minute,and she wouldn't come again until in a year. Clara bit into a sweet cake, tasting it's perfect flavour.

Three months after the fifth visit, on June 11th, Clara was happily sitting at supper with her husband. Danny talked about politics and required her advice. Normally, it was not the women who did that. Not every husband came to his wife asking whether he should go left or right.  
But Danny did. And Clara liked Danny. For that, and for other things. She'd even go so far as to tell she'd love him. Their marriage had been arranged, an offer by the king, but somehow they still found a likeness in each other.  
"What should I do, Clara?" Danny now wanted to know.  
The Princess impaled the meat inside her bowl with a silver fork, turning it in front of her eyes, examining it closely, before saying: "It's your choice. What does your father say?"  
Danny bit his lip. "He said he wouldn't give a damn. I should finally learn how to make decisions. But I don't know if I can do that on my own."  
"He wants you to be a great king one day," she reassured him. Her eyes melted for him. Danny nodded slowly, smiling softly, as Clara continued: "And you will be, my dear. No one is born a master, I assure you. My father always used to say that. He may not be royal, but he is clever."  
"You are right, my dear. But what am I supposed to do?"  
Clara would have grabbed his hand, but the long table separated them. Clara would probably never understand why rich men had need of them. Smaller ones kept the family together. The family..  
If only they had any. Clara and Danny only had themselves, and his father who constantly demanded to know when he could expect his grandchild.  
"Just-" Clara began, but was rudely interrupted by a servant, rushing through the door. His breath was coming in short pans. "Princess, Princess, men came out of the woods. They said they found it."  
Immediately, Clara rose. "It?"  
The man nodded hurriedly. "Yes, yes. They said it must be what the Princess desires."  
Clara looked to her husband. "I'm sorry, Danny. We will talk later, I promise!"  
And with that, she was gone. Prince Daniel was left alone in the dining room. "Well," he said, "At least those five years of search finally proved to be successful." He still wondered why Clara didn't give up after the first few months, but it seemed that she had been right when she insisted to continue the mission however pointless it seemed.

The servant led Clara to the great hall, meanwhile. A group of five men waited there, one of them holding a gift meant for her. They all bowed at her appearance, but she was too occupied to notice. Shaking, she reached out for the piece wrapped up in linen.  
"Can this be.."  
"I believe so, my Princess," the man who bore it said. As if not to break it, he laid the thing in her hand, where Clara put her other hand on it as if guarding a precious treasure.  
"Thank you, gentlemen," she whispered, and then louder: "If this is indeed what I wanted, you will all be rewarded greatly. When, I can not say. But you will."  
The first man bowed again. "I will always believe in the promise made by our glorious Princess."  
Clara thanked them again and returned to Danny. She told him her opinion before heading off towards her quarters. "Won't you finish your supper?" Danny inquired, but Clara wasn't hungry anymore.  
Inside her rooms, she took out the thing hidden beneath the dirty linen. And it was.. something odd. Something Clara had not yet seen in this world. But, on the other hand, wool turning to gold and women magically appearing as well as disappearing were not common either.  
The thing she held in her hands was silver and smooth. Like a plate. It neatly fit into her hand. Circles were engraved on it, beautiful to look at. Clara drove along them with her finger. That was it. That was the thing that she looked for all those years, that Missy wanted so badly she helped her that one night over five years ago.  
And Clara would finally be able to return the favour.  
No, she thought. Yes. No. Yes, Missy can be free. She can travel again. She can be free and happy. No, that means she'll leave and I'll never see her again. The mysterious woman. The witch who put a spell on her, making it hard to sleep some nights, dreaming about her and a box. The fairy godmother who helped her once. Her sorceress. The magician who never aged, who didn't live like normal human beings, the one that, yes, in a way, stole her heart. Occupied it day and night. The one she made a deal with and who threatened to kill her and her loved ones if she would not obey.  
Her heart felt torn. Now she was the one with a problem, not her husband.

For five days she rarely slept. Dark shadows beneath her eyes testified of long, sleepless nights filled with thoughts. Not a person in the court knew the reason for that, which was why rumours were born.  
Is she with child? Is she not happy anymore? Is something wrong with the kingdom? Has the old king started another, meaningless war and we just don't know it yet?  
No, it was none of the above. Princess Clara Pink, neé Oswald, thought about someone probably one she knew.  
Then, one night, she couldn't stand it anymore. She was too tired. Too sick of all these thoughts. All she wanted was to get this plate out of her room, out of the castle, out of the realm. But Missy would first return on the anniversary of the miracle.  
Clara didn't want to wait that long. Slowly, she got out of bed, not wanting to wake up Danny. She grabbed a cloak and slid into a bit of clothing. In the dark, she left the castle. Her horse was quiet enough, and the guards were given a good prize. "There's no need waking the king up. When I'm not back until morning, there is."  
With these words, Clara Oswald rode into the night. Wind blowing her hair against her face, but she didn't care, riding faster and faster, until she entered the forest. There, she got off her horse, linked it to a nearby tree, and continued her journey on foot.  
In the woods, it was hard to find a place where you'd found something ages ago. If it happened to be in the dark too, it was impossible.  
But she was sure that in this forest, she'd find Missy, because this was where everything began. And it would also be the spot where everything ended.  
Clara didn't find the place, instead, another thing found her. She was walking right through the forest, until she noticed something very odd. A house, standing alone. It was colourful. A white fence around it. Pretty.  
Impressing were the numerous, flying balls above it, though. Clara stared at the building with big eyes, taking it all in. This had to be it. It looked mad and nothing like the buildings of her kingdom. There was no other possibility than for it to belong to Missy.  
Slowly, she approached the house. She looked around, as if there might be some danger, before opening a lock on the fence.  
What in reality were a few metres felt like a thousand. And the steps appeared high and long, leading to the gates of heaven.  
She did arrive at the door. Her heart stopped, but she managed to knock against the door four times. Knock, knock, knock, knock.  
Slowly, the door opened. For a brief second, Clara saw what must have been a silver-loving person's dream and heard a strange whizzing, but then the view was blocked by a face illuminated by a bit of moonlight. Missy smiled faintly. "You."  
"Me."  
"You found me. How cute, my little tracker dog. Do you like my TARDIS' outside? It was a tree once, but then it decided to go all Disney and became this house from Up. Doesn't really fit in here, but is quite pretty, don't you think?"  
Clara sighed. "I am not a dog, you know."  
"Yes, yes," Missy nodded, "You're my puppy. Sorry, I tend to mix things up. That's the burden of an old lady."  
Missy looked around, and soon enough said: "Okay, puppy, it's so nice of you to say goodbye, and even nicer of you to bring my possession, as I see it embraced by your delicate, gloved fingers behind your back, but I really want to leave this horrific place and time right now, so if you don't mind.."  
Unhumanly fast, Missy grabbed the plate, threw it inside the house she called her TARDIS and wanted to seal the door shut, but a foot was caught in between. Slowly, Missy's gaze went from the dark boots over Clara's body to her big, brown eyes. They were determined. A few more times, Missy rammed the door against the foot, which remained unyielding.  
Suddenly, Missy hissed: "What is the meaning of that, puppy?"  
"I don't want you to go without me," Clara said, amazed by how calm her voice was, "I will come with you."  
"To space and death and aliens? I don't think so. You're a silly, medieval girl, not one who can travel with a Time Lady of Gallifrey. My friend takes earthlings for rides, I don't. Go to your castle, dear. I saved your life, I do not intend to ruin mine now."  
Clara wasn't ready to give up that easily. "No," she demanded.  
Missy cocked an eyebrow. "No?," she echoed, getting angrier each millisecond.  
"No," Clara repeated, firmly, "No, I am not a silly girl. I helped you too, remember? Yes, it was my duty, but I could have easily spend way less time on that idiotic search."  
Clara picked up the plate and took it into her hands, holding it in front of her. "Missy. Without you, I'd be dead. Without me, you'd probably be stuck here until the end of your days. What I ask for is a favor. And it's not a major one. You're a wise magician, I know that much. You have powers. All I ask for is a single trip!" She didn't feel her voice growing louder, but it did, along with Missy's face remaining hard. "A single trip to free me! Free me from this place, my life, my boredom! I know I should be grateful - and I am! - but it's exhausting being the princess. Just for once, I want to see new things. I want to be the adventurer, the student, hell, even just the watcher.. just don't leave me to my days full of meals and appointments and faked smiles without showing me your world for once."  
Finally, Clara fell silent. She felt her heart pound inside of her chest. Desperately she looked at Missy, who just blankly stared for a long time before smacking her lips together.  
"Well," she said, no louder than a faint whisper, "I guess that was quite the truth, eh?"  
Suddenly, Clara felt her foot relaxing as Missy drew the door open. Surprised, Clara stared at her.  
Missy cocked her head. "Yes, your eyes do still work, puppy. Get inside. I know how painful boredom can be, sweetie. Just let me fix my TARDIS and then I can show you.. I don't know.. watching how everything on Demon's Run took place is quite entertaining, seeing how hard my friend tries to win and then loses everything. If I had been with him, this sure as hell would not have happened, but well, I don't like him because he's oh so clever, do I?"  
Clara didn't understand, but still nodded. "It.. sounds good. Can I help you with something?"  
"Yes, sure, turn on the TV, get some snacks.. You DO realize this is a complicated time machine not meant for medieval puppys, right? Good. Then come along, puppy, let's kill that boredom. How about hunting down some Daleks?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As it turns out, this fic is only 2 chapters long. But I do hope you liked to read it just as much as I liked to write it. Have a nice day! :)


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